Corn-planter.



No. 670,6!6. Patented Mar. 26, I901. T. KNAPP.

CORN PLANTER.

(Application filed Oct. 8, 1900) (No Model.)

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. NI ATES THOMAS KNAPP, OF FAYETTE COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,616, dated March26, 1901.

Application filed October 8, 1900- Serial No. 32.402. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS KNAPP, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residingin the county of Fayette, in the State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Corn-Planter, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention is an improved planter adapted to plant corn or other seedseither in drills or in hills and at any desired distance apart;'

and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of deviceshereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of acorn-planter constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view.

The frame 1 of the planter may be of any suitable construction, and inthe same is jou rnaled a shaft 2, which has a covering and tractionWheel 3 anda wheel 4, which wheel 4 is provided with a series of cams 5on its periphery. Anysuitable number of the cams 5 may be used, and thesame may be secured on the wheel at any desired distance apartaccordingly as it may be desired to plant the seeds closely together orat regular distances apart.

- cam-wheel.

In the form of my invention here shown the frame 1 is provided withhandles 6 and with a furrow-opener 7. On theframe is mounted aseed-hopper 8, from the lower side of which leads a seed-spout 9, thatdischarges in the furrow in rear of the furrow-opener.

The seed-slide 10 operates longitudinally on the bottom of the hopper,extends beyond the front and rear sides thereof, and has the seed cuppropelling 11, which coacts with the cut-off 12 to discharge seeds fromthe hopper through the seed-spout when the seed-slide is reciprocatedLAt the rear end of the seedslide is an antifrictionwheel 13, which isadapted to be engaged by the cams 5 of the The seed-slide is provided atits front end with a forwardly-extending arm 14, on which is a coiledextensile spring 15. A shifting lever 16 is pivoted at one end on theframe 1, the-said shifting lever being transversely disposed thereon.Said shifting lever has a longitudinal slot 17, in which the arm 14.operates, and the latter is provided at its front end with a stop, head,or button 18, engaged by said shifting lever when the latter is movedforward, so as to cause the seed-slide to be moved forward withsaidshifting-lever. A hand-lever 19 is suitably mounted and disposednear and under one of the handles 6 and is connected to the shiftinglever by a rod 20.

The spring 15 bears rearwardly against the front end of the seed-slide10 and imparts retrograde motion to the seed-slide, the latter beingmoved forward by each of the cams 5 in succession when the machine is inoperation, as the said cams engage the wheel 13 at the rear end of theseed-slide. It will be understood that the said camwheel and the saidspring coact to impart reciprocating motion to the seed-slide. Thelatter is in gear with the cam-wheel when the shifting lever 16 is movedrearward by the hand-lever 19 to the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 2of the drawings. When it is desired to throw the seeding mechanism outof gear to discontinue the operation of the planter at any time, as whenturning at the end of a row, this may be accomplished by moving theshifting lever 16 forward by means of the hand-lever 19, said shiftinglever engaging the head, stop, or button 18 on the arm 14 of theseed-slide and moving the latter forward, so that its wheel or roller 13is moved out of the path of the cams'J.

Inasmuch as the shifting lever 16 bears on the outer end of the spring15 the tension of the latter may be varied, when the slide is inoperative engagementwith the camwheel, by moving said shifting lever, aswill be understood, to increase or decrease the pressure of the springon the slide as may be requisite to secure the efficient operation ofthe latter under all conditions with the least possible expenditure ofpower.

A planter thus constructed is exceedingly light, cheap, and simple, isthoroughly eflicient, and is not likely to get out of order.

Having thus described my invention, I claim In a planter, thecombination of a frame, a hopper thereon, a cam-wheel carried by saidframe and in rear of said hopper, a longitudinally-movable seed-slide insaid hopper, having a roller at its rear end to engage said cam-wheel,said seedslide being further provided with a forwardly-extending armprojecting beyond the front side of the hopper and having a stop, aspring on said forwardlyprojeeting arm', ashifting lever fnlcruined onsaid frame and having an opening through which said arrn extends, saidshifting lever engaging said spring and said stop on said arm, andthereby adapted to throw said roller in or out of engagement with saidcam-wheel and to vary the pressure of the spring on the [O slide whilethe latter is in operative engagement with the cam-wheel, substantiallyas described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

his THOMAS KNAPP. mark Witnesses:

WVILLIAM T. SELLERS, HENRY A. MINOR.

